


Devil Behind the Smile

by ChaoticMind (ChloeCasey)



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: AU, Cults, Demon Dipper Pines, Demon Mabel Pines, Every Pines is a demon, Human Bill Cipher, Kid Bill, M/M, Megalomaniac Bill, obviously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-07-14 13:03:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7172867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeCasey/pseuds/ChaoticMind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knows Bill Cipher. The creepy kid. The weirdo. The guy who was known to have eaten the lungs of a frog in biology. </p><p>But most, if not all of the people he's met, have agreed that while he is strange, he is harmless. </p><p>Could they be any more WRONG.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Child

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! It's me again! 
> 
> You probably have seen me from my other fic "Shattered World." 
> 
> If not, I suggest you go read it! 
> 
> But anyway, this is my second fanfic I have ever wrote, so please leave a comment! I don't even care about kudos, I just need comments! 
> 
> Hope you like this!

The classroom was bustling with energy as always, friends talking among friends about their time during summer break, along with couples holding hands and sharing quick smooches while the teachers aren't looking. All the students seem to be socializing. 

All except for one. 

One was sitting alone and drawing in a notebook at his desk. He was a rather skinny boy, scrawny with dark brown skin, lightly freckled on the cheeks, sporting light blond hair that seemed to cover one eye, which seemed to have been dyed black at the tips. There is a faint hint of eyeliner, showing a narrow triangle at the end of the eyelid. 

His T-shirt is a vibrant yellow, yet this fact is dampened by all the dirt smudged on, as well as all the tears in the sleeves. 

His jeans are a pitch black, those having rips as well, mostly around the knees, almost looking like the ripped pants style people see in stores. His shoes are simple white sneakers, looking worn down, and the aglets of the laces missing. 

The most odd fact about this boy is that he carries around a cane, though everyone knows he has no limp; they all watched him chase down and tackle a wimpy kid named Toby because the boy thought he had a Twinkie. The boy often makes a show of twirling it, whether he is bored or trying to sweet-talk the lunch lady into giving him an extra pizza slice at lunch.

The boy's name was Bill Cipher, an odd one for sure, making the other students wonder if his parents actually  _have_ that name. Then they remember that they never, ever see any glimpse of said parents. 

Bill was currently doodling in his notebook to pass the time, and the sketch was a familiar one: him, in a rather childish drawing, standing on top of the Earth with a king's crown and a scepter in one hand. 

Normally, this type of drawing would be thought of as kind of cute by an onlooker or teacher, assuming the boy wanted to grow up and be the president or something like that. 

Bill grins. 

They were nothing but fools. 

They had no idea what he really was. 

He giggles silently, the slightest huff of breath passing between his lips, then his head jerks up as the teacher enters the room. 

He shuts the notebook as class begins, sitting up straight and flashing that wide, joyous grin that never failed to make the adults coo and not suspect a thing. 

Idiots. 

~----~ 

Bill finally steps off the bus as it drops him off at his stop, a small backpack around his shoulders, and lets his grin drop, to the point where it no longer hurts his cheeks. He looks around, seeing all the other kids that live nearby waking off. 

He turns, heading toward the alleyways of the town street that was his stop. This was known as a rather seedy area, but Bill walks through it carelessly, swinging his cane. A few people glance at him but make no moves. 

They know that kid is off limits. 

Soon, Bill arrives at a small house, one-story, with a run-down paint color, smudged windows, and overall looking quite messy. He unlocks the door, and walks in, feeling the cool breeze of his air conditioner running. 

The house was devoid of any familial pictures, though it did have clean furniture, and running electricity and water. While the place did get messy, Bill always kept it moderately clean.   

He sets down his backpack on the couch, plopping onto an armchair with a small groan of relief. 

In his pocket, his phone buzzes. 

Bill takes it out, reading the text. 

'Hey Boss, I got the book you wanted. Along with the supplies.' 

Bill's grin is sharp, wicked, and definitely  _not_ innocent. 

'Thank you. Drop it off here, okay?'

A few seconds later and there's a response. 

'Gotcha.' 

Bill tilts his head back and laughs.


	2. The Pine Tree

The forest on the outskirts of town were a bit far to get to when it comes to Bill's house, but this time it's worth it. Oh boy, is it worth it. 

He grins as he opens up the case that was at his doorstep early that morning. It contained an odd piece of paper, looking like it was torn from an old book, and a singular vial, filled with a suspicious red liquid. 

Bill pulls out the paper and examines it's contents. It looks to be an intricate sort of sigil, meant to be drawn on the ground in order to fulfill the specific command it will create. Chalk is recommended for this task. 

But blood is a  _great_ substitute. 

Bill grins, pulling off the cork wedged into the vial, which causes a solid  _pop_ sound. The smell of copper reaches his nostrils, making it wrinkle with the intensity of it, and he gets to work. 

It takes a few tries; the sigil is complicated and blood is hard to wipe off from cold dusty dirt, but eventually, hands red, Bill manages to get it right. 

He grins viciously, feeling his heart speed up with anticipation as, looking down at the paper, starts to chant in Latin.

It sounds garbled, rushed, like he can barely manage to wrap his tongue around the words, and when he finishes chanting, and nothing had happened, he fears he may have did it wrong. 

Thats when he feels a sudden dizziness that's so strong it makes him go unconscious for a brief instant. But that's all it took.

A boy stands before him, directly on the sigil, a faint smirk on his face. He has pale skin, almost white, and the deepest brown eyes Bill had ever seen, going nicely with the fluffy curls atop his head.

He wears a fancy suit, colors a mix of dull reds and blues, and his hands go up momentarily to adjust the jacket.

Bill grins widely, walks right up to the sigil, and holds out his hand. "Well, Well! Good to see the boys didn't mess this up for me! Name's Bill Cipher!"

The boy blinks, not expecting such a nonchalant response, and clears his throat. "I am Dipper. You obviously know I am a demon. Specifically the demon of Logic."

"Mhm, sure, why is everything grey? And what's on your forehead?" 

"..Everything is grey because you're in a parallel dimension. It's the only way to perceive me. As for what's on my forehead..." 

The demon, now known as Dipper,cards his bangs back, revealing an odd mark that would've, in fact, look like the Big Dipper. But the striking thing about it was, inside the 'ladle' part of the mark was a singular eye, sclera a light blue, slitted pupil darting around aimlessly, as if trying to take everything around it in.  

Bill blinks, then grins. "Neat! Can you see the future with it?"

"Sort of; I can see any possible outcome to every possible situation. Then I can bend the outcome to my will using probability." 

Bill seems to look mildly impressed before twirling his cane. "How about we get down to buisness, Pine Tree?"

Dipper blinks. "Wha-"

"Take it as a compliment; I give nicknames to all my friends/accomplises. And since we're making a deal, it would make sense that we would be both."

"..What do you want?"

Bill laughs quietly, tapping his cane in a rhythm on the dirt. "I want a lot of things. Power. Freedom to do whatever I want. A land made free of rules. There is a way I can get all of that, with your help of course." 

Dipper's third eye briefly flashes with a multitude of images, and the demon smirks, almost laughing. "You, a 13 year-old child, wants to create a cult that will topple all kinds of government?"

"That's right. And with your help, I can do so. I know I have to do something for you, so how about this? After all of this is said and done, you can do whatever you want with this world, under my rule." 

Dippers eye flashes again and he smirks. He holds out a hand which bursts into bright orange flames. "Deal."

Bill meets his look with a terrifying grin, shaking his hand.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for reading this chapter! 
> 
> Please, leave a comment and tell me what you think!


	3. The School Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! New chapter! Hope you like it! Please comment!

The next day comes, a school day unfortunately, and Bill begrudgingly boards the bus, the door about to close when a hand shoots out and stops it. "Excuse me."

Bill blinks and turns, grinning. "Whoops, sorry about that, Pine Tree!"

The other kids watch in confusion as another boy, one they've never seen before, climb on board. He wears a puffy blue vest, red undershirt, and beige shorts. He wears a white and blue trucker hat with a pine tree symbol on it.

He looks at no one, expression blank, making a bee-line for Bill's seat and promptly sitting next to him, only mumbling one thing. "That's not my name, Bill." 

He just laughs, ignoring the weirded out looks the other kids have. 

~----~

Unsurprisingly, the news of a new student following around Bill everywhere spreads quickly, meaning the moment he enters his first period class, all eyes turn to look at him. 

The new kid ignores all the prying eyes, immediately sitting down behind Bill, saying nothing even as the kid opens his notebook, doodling again. 

A high-pitched voice with a southern drawl pipes up. "Who the hell are you?" 

The two look up to see an albino, chunky kid standing in front of them, arms slightly crossed, carrying an air of arrogance. He glares at Bill for a moment before staring at Dipper. 

The demon, disguised as a child, simply stares cooly, while Bill just huffs. "What the hell do you want, Gideon?"

Gideon narrows his eyes, pointing a fat finger at Dipper. "I just wanna know where he came from."

"His house, where do you think?"

"That's not what I meant."

"You should've been more specific." 

"I'm not asking  _you_ , Cipher!"

"And Pine Tree isn't telling you anything. He doesn't want to talk with anyone."

Gideon growls, slamming his hands down on Bill's desk, who doesn't even blink at the action. "Well, what if I don't take no for answer? Huh?! What'chya gonna do then, boy?" 

Bill is silent for a few seconds, then exchanges a glance with Dipper. He stands and gestures to the door. "Let me just explain a few things about this, Gideon." 

The albino stares a bit, then angrily huffs and follows Bill out of the classroom and into the hallway, out of sight from the other students.

The end of Bill's cane is pressed against his throat so fast Gideon barely realizes it. The boy is gently smiling, eyes squinted with amusement, though it's full of malicious intent, totally unlike the charming grin he uses with the adults.

 He leans forward, that grin sending Gideon's heart pounding with fear. "Shortstack, I can assure you that messing with me is  _not_ a good idea." 

Gideon pales and Bill quietly laughs. "I'd advise to stay away. Or there may be consequences."

He nearly coughs when his Adam's apple gets gently poked by that cane, quickly nodding so the other kid doesn't choke him.Bill breaks out that dazzling smile and ruffles Gideon's hair, pulling the rod away like it never happened.

He twirls it as he opens the door to the classroom, making sure to raise his voice the slightest bit. "Don't worry about the kid, ok? He just is quite shy and needs time to adjust!"  

Gideon stares as Bill slips back into his seat, knees wobbling as he walks back into his own desk, feeling his gaze linger on the blond even as class starts. 

Something is wrong with that kid. 

 _Very, very wrong_. 

~----~ 

Dipper scrunches his nose in slight disgust at his lunch tray, once again sitting next to Bill at an empty table. The food today seemed to be an odd kind of soup, bubbling hot and almost having a greenish tinge in color. There was mashed potatoes as a side dish. 

Even though this form didn't need to eat, the demon could feel his stomach roll with unease as he stares down at the food. 

They had decided yesterday, after Dipper disguised himself correctly, that it was ideal for the demon to attend school with his client, in order to scope out any potential recruits as well as brainstorm ideas.

Said boy was noisily slurping down his portion of soup, green sludge dribbling down his chin with each spoonful, making the demon curl his lip in a disgusted sneer. 

"Oh for the love of-wipe your mouth!" Dipper hastily grabs his napkin, wiping down his clients face with a huff, making Bill groan in slight annoyance.  

"Hey! Quit it!" 

"Look, we-" 

"You gonna eat that?"

Bill is pointing at Dippers tray, his own already empty, and with a sigh, he slides it over to the boy, who gives a squeal of joy, already devouring the slop. 

The demon pinches his nose, already feeling agitated. "Kid, we need to focus."

"Mhm."

"We need to sort this cult thing out; make a design for a god, create a mythos, find followers."

Bill grins, swallowing. "Oh, I got that covered already. You'll see after school." 

Dipper raises a brow at the mischievous look on Bills face. "Well, I better hope I'm entertained."

"oh, trust me. You will."


	4. The Gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here they come!

Dipper finds the rest of the school day to be boring and rather lacking in any actual events. The only thing that was mildly amusing happened to be that Gideon child, and obviously Bill must've scared him when "explaining" things to him. 

So, his client somehow catches the demon off guard when they exit the bus after it stopped. Bill had wrapped an arm around his shoulder and was now pulling him toward a rather shady area; trash and lines of graffiti on the streets and walls, and Dipper couldn't help  but feel slightly unnerved. 

"Uhh...Kid, what are we doing?"

"We're going home, obviously."

"You live around here?!"

Bill laughs, twirling his cane in his left hand. "Really, Pine Tree, you don't have to be so surprised; you obviously know I'm not like regular kids." 

 "I  _do_ know that! But it doesn't change the fact that a family shouldn't be living here!" 

Bill blinks, looking at him with wide eyes. "A famil-"

He then bursts out laughing. 

Dipper tenses hard when he notices people looking at them, expecting trouble, but his confusion only grows when no one makes a move. 

 "P-Pine Tree, wow, for a demon you really don't know much!"

Dipper blinks in confusion, brow furrowing. He feels a small pang of anger at the insult, but let's it go, knowing Bill was just referring to himself. "What are you talking about?"

The boy pats his back, looking indifferent. "I don't  _have_ any family! Not blood relatives or anything. No parents, no siblings, absolute  _zilch_." 

Dipper stares at him for a moment, disbelieving in the information he just heard. As they walk closer to Bill's house, Dipper finally speaks up, having gone quiet for a few minutes to process everything. 

"How is that possible?! You have nothing? How can you go to school? Afford clothes? Food? How come you aren't in an  _orphanage_ -"

He freezes when the house comes into view. He's shocked that it isn't a run-down shack, but an actual  _home_ , even though it did look quite dirty. But that wasn't the reason why he stopped. 

The door was open. 

"Bill-"

The boy in question squawks when something rather big tackles him to the ground in a flash of hot pink. 

Dipper's reaction is instant, flames erupting from his hands, and a blue aura violently yanks the attacker off Bill and into the air, fingers poised to snap and burn the human to a crisp- 

Bill waves his arms sporadically, eyes wide. "Pine Tree, Pine Tree! Stop! I know these guys!"

Dipper blinks, glancing at his client, and with a begrudging sigh, let's the human drop. That's when he gets a good look at them.

The human was female, looking to be around her 20's, with bright pink hair that went down to her shoulders, curled nicely. She wears a simple black t-shirt and cobalt jeans. She has red lipstick on and wears thin glasses, but the most striking thing about her were the tattoos. 

The ink depicted flames, starting from her fingertips all the way up to the elbows. They had no color to them, but the detail inside the fire itself was enough to be impressive. 

The girl stares at Dipper for a second, blinking owlishly, which was to be expected. 

She starts laughing, voice high-pitched and crackling. 

 _Not_ expected. 

"So you must be the demon Bill was planning to summon! Gotta say, I was a little apprehensive about the idea, but after that little display, I'm all for it!" 

Dipper just blinks, and Bill rushes forward to give her a hug and help her up. "Hey there, Py!"

The woman giggles, ruffling his hair. "Hey, Boss. You hungry at all?  Teeth just brought over pizza."

Even though Bill had eaten lunch 2 hours ago, he licks his lips like he's starved. "Yes!"

Py turns toward the house, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Hey, guys! The Boss is home!"

A few seconds of silence, then a clamor of cheers and hollers as 9 other people storm outside, giving Bill several displays of affection ranging from hugs to noogies to playful punches in the shoulder. 

The boy laughs. "Glad to see you too, boys!"

Dipper, utterly flabbergasted, only manages to blink, speechless. 

Bill, seeing this, grins. "Oh, right! Guys, can you settle down for a few seconds?" 

The group goes silent instantly. Bill twirls his cane, looking smug. 

"Well, I said I had no blood family. Didn't say a thing about substitutes. Let me introduce you to the gang."  

Pyronica blinks, then taps Bill on the shoulder. "Maybe we should head inside for this?" 

The group nods, hurrying back inside, Dipper dumbly following his client into the house, a thousand questions buzzing through his mind. 

Bill shuts and locks the door behind them.

He turns, gesturing each individual with his cane. "8-Ball, Kryptos, Keyhole, Teeth, Pacifire, Pyronica, Amorphus Shape, Hectorgon, and The Being Who's Name Must Never Be Said....We just call him Xanthar." 

Dipper dumbly follows the direction of the cane. 

8-Ball was a tall, rather thickly-muscled individual, skin as white as a sheet. He wears a white tank-top and khakis, the most prominent aspect about him being the bright green mohawk atop his head, with no other hair to be seen. On the bald areas are tattoos of, well, 8-balls.

Kryptos was a short, scrawny man that grinned at him awkwardly, but carried a rather friendly air to him. He had buck teeth, but only slightly, and was wearing a dull blue shirt and white shorts. He had a diamond tattoo on his upper arm. His hair was short and black, looking frazzled, and his skin was a healthy pink.

Keyhole was average-sized, though he bore a wide, teeth clenched grin that came off as more creepy than friendly, and he was fidgeting. He had blond hair, a bit longer, so he had a small ponytail in the back. He wore a red shirt, and grey jeans, something that looked like brass knuckles in the pockets. The inked picture of a keyhole lined his forehead, skin a bit tanned.

Teeth was a short, thin man with his hair dyed a dull pink, and he was nibbling on his bottom lip, almost looking nervous. His teeth seemed to be a little crooked in some areas, and Dipper faintly noticed that the collar of his shirt looked, well, chewed up. A wind-up toy of teeth was the tattoo on his cheek, and his skin looked a bit pale.

Pacifire was a pot-bellied man with dark skin, and a cold-stone look on his face, mouth turned down in a slight frown. His lips, nose, and ears were riddled with piercings, the most prominent one being the golden loop going through both nostrils, and he wears a black shirt with an odd cross symbol on it, with binge jeans to match. A tattoo of a pacifier is on his palm. 

Amorphus Shape, or AS, was ridiculously skinny, almost anorexic, and his skin was olive-toned, hair a multitude of colors, and he waved slightly at Dipper. He had a whiteboard and marker under one hand, indicating he couldn't speak, and he wore a simple white shirt and blue jeans. A broken rubix-cube was on his back. 

Hectorgon looked relatively normal, skinny with a fine-looking outfit, wearing a bowler hat atop shiny black hair, and a dazzling smile. His skin was a bit tanned and a red hectogon was on his right shoulder blade. 

Xanthar was a tall, beefy man, looking like he could squash most people into a pulp with his bare hands. He has spiked black hair, and a gruff-looking face, wearing a purple shirt and pants. He obviously was the brutish muscle of the group, and seemed to take pride in it; his tattoo was a mountain on his left upper arm.

Dipper is snapped out of his observations when Teeth points at him. "So, Boss, is that the demon? You know, the one that'll help in the plans?"

"That's right! Meet Pine Tree!"

Dipper sighs. "That's not my name, Bill. It's Dipper."

Then something clicks, and Dipper stares. "Wait. You know about Bills plan to dominate the Earth?"

They all nod, grinning. 

"...And you're in on it?"

Pyronica laughs. "Of course we are! What's not to love about it?"

Teeth grins. "When we're at the top, it's gonna be a wild party! One that never ends!"

They all cheer, and Bill grins, looking smug. "We're kind of one of the most known and feared gangs around these parts, simply known as Nightmare Realm." 

Hectorgon chuckles. "Due to our infamy alone, we already gained followers that'll do whatever the Boss commands. He calls them Eyeball Bats."

Bill reaches out and wraps his arm around Dipper's shoulder, grin wide and maniacal. "With your help, that infamy can grow even wider. Bigger. This can go from a simple gang of teens, to a wide cult that spans the globe. Us freaks will be on top, with no more rules and no more laws!" 

Another round of cheering. 

Dipper stares. 

Then he grins. "I'm impressed, Cipher. You're more capable than I thought."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to lie, even though we know nothing about them, the Henchmaniacs are growing to be some of my favorites.
> 
> EDIT: PLEASE COMMENT!!!


	5. The Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!

Bill grins widely at the compliment, giggling. "Aww, you're making me blush!" 

Pyronica giggles, ruffling the boy's hair. "How about we discuss plans over some pizza?"

The others cheer, and Dipper just shrugs; he doesn't need to eat anyway. So, he follows them into the kitchen, dimly noticing that, while he expected the interior of the house to be an absolute pig-sty, it's surprisingly clean; barely a dirty plate, piece of clothing, or speck of dirt in sight. 

He's brought out of his musings when Pyronica snaps her fingers at Bill, who had 5 slices on his own plate already. "Hey, hey, hey! Remember to share, Boss."

Bill blinks, then chuckles, putting all but one slice back. "Whoops! Sorry."

"Heh. That's ok, you're probably just hungry." 

Dipper pipes up behind Bill, despite being the last one to enter the room, and is already holding his own plate. "From what I've seen he's always hungry." 

8-Ball laughs at that, and soon everyone is seated. Hectorgon pulls out a hefty notebook and flips to a certain page. "Let's see...We managed to recruit 3 more Bats today. We've given them the rules they have to follow and have sworn to secrecy." 

Bill just nods, mouth already full with pizza. Dipper sips at his cup of cola, raising an eyebrow. "So, you keep a facade of being another street gang, but in actuality you're building up a religious cult of misfits and those who are unwanted." 

"Exactly. We decided to keep it discreet so Boss wouldn't get undesired attention. Like targeting or assassination attempts."

"I see. What exactly is the purpose of these Eyeball Bats?" 

"They're meant to be undercover followers, going around and spreading our influence as much as they can, as well as help with...other aspects."

Teeth, with a mouthful of pizza, muffles out, "Like fighting!"

Hectorgon glances at him. "Quite."

Dipper nods in understanding, feeling a smidgen impressed with the group. They clearly know what they're doing; no wonder Bill can keep up his facade so well. 

Said boy gulps down his can of cola, and the demon sighs in irritation, pushing a napkin over to him. Bill, while wiping his mouth, takes a moment to speak. "I'm sure with Pine Tree around, he'll be helping a lot!"

Dipper nods, sipping at his own cup while wordlessly handing over his own slice to Bill. "I'll try my best. May I see the notebook?" 

When Hectorgon hands it over, he skims through the pages. They all seem to be thoroughly laid out, labeling and charting out plans for Bats, as well as schedules for the group. Dipper spots a tiny doodle in the corner of one of the pages. 

A triangle with an eye in the middle. 

Dipper feels a shudder run up his spine. 

Something isn't right. That picture makes him feel....Nervous. 

Why? 

Bill snaps him out of these thoughts when he jabs a grease covered finger at the doodle. "Oh! I made that! Thought we could use a logo or something to signal Bats that are out in public. But Py said it would be too easy to mistake as graffiti."

Dipper sit up straighter. "Wait. That could work."

The gang all blink. "It could?"

The demon nods, feeling a grin curve up his lips. "The police will just think it's mindless drawings. So will any enemies we might gain if our cult gets too big. It could be our symbol, used to indicate territory. Not to mention, lure in more curious locals and become Bats."

8-Ball grins widely. "Holy shit, this kid is a genius!"

Pyronica smacks him upside the head. "Watch your mouth around the Boss." 

"Heh. Sorry." 

Teeth laughs, holding up two more six-packs of soda. "Let's celebrate the new symbol!"

A round of cheering. 

~-----~ 

Dipper honestly should've expected the resulting chaos, but he was still a bit unused to the antics of Bill's caretakers. 

8-Ball ended up daring Xanthar to bite down on a shaken up bottle, causing an explosion of sticky sugary liquids to cover every inch of the kitchen. Dipper finally stepped into the living room after that, muttering curses; his clothes were now wet and sticky. 

He pulls off his vest and undershirt, not caring about the intricate ink embedded in his skin. Symbols and numbers swirl around his wrists, ever so slowly warping and changing shape, sigils and drawings looping and curling up his arms and around his chest. In the middle of his chest, is the obsidian picture of a pine tree, appearing to smoke around the edges, causing more blackness to stain his skin. 

It's distant, but he can sense the knowledge of this house inside the walls. His third eye cracks open a slit, tempted to absorb the information.That was one thing Ford liked about him; he always itched to find out  _everything_. 

He sighs lightly, letting the eye open, and in his mind, memories manifest.

~----~ 

The inside of the house is dark, musty, and dirty, like it hasn't been touched for days. The TV is on, but it plays nothing but static, the only source of light in the room. 

The doorknob jiggles, before a singular clicking sound echoes through the silence, and with a quiet  _creak_ , the door to the house opens. Two silhouettes are seen briefly, ducking down as they sneak inside, eyes narrowed as they look around. They wear all black, along with gloves and ski masks.

The two figures straighten when they see no one, and a high-pitched voice whispers, "Head upstairs."

The second robber nods, taking out a small brick as a means of self-defense. They slowly creep upstairs, nigh silent in their approach. 

The first walks around, quietly digging through objects, trying to find anything of value to sell, like jewelry. When they find nothing, they huff in slight frustration, drumming ther fingers. They see their partner come back down, carrying something. 

The first robber furrows their brow. "What is it? What'd you find?"

They look down at their partners arms and their jaw drops behind the ski mask. 

In the hold of the would-be fellow thief, was a baby.

It was wrapped in a dull blanket, shaking weakly. It's eyes were closed, nose crusted with mucus, and it's chest was barely moving. It only squeaked quietly when the first robber places a hand on it's head, hair a sickly blonde. 

The robber immediately tears off their mask, revealing bright pink hair and wide, shocked eyes. " _What the fuck_?"


	6. The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!
> 
> *This first part is a continuation of the flashback from the last chapter.

8-Ball stands there, carefully holding the baby in his arms, listening to Pyronica as she paces back and forth, phone to her ear. 

"No, I'm not kidding, guys! We literally found a  _baby_ inside this house! What the hell are we supposed to do?"

The quiet sound of talking coming from the receiver.

"Yeah, it's alive. But it looks kind of sick: the nose is crusted up, it's shaking...I'm thinking we need to get some food in him. Fast."

At this, Py walks over to the baby, petting his hair before gently angling his head back, eyes narrowing. The baby's eyes open shakily, yawning and whimpering. 

She curses under her breath. "Ok, he doesn't have teeth yet. Ugh, this isn't good."

8-Ball shifts, biting his lip as he walks into the kitchen. "Maybe there's still stuff in the fridge he can eat?"

Pyronica follows, still talking on her phone. "Look, can you just get over here? Thank you." 

She hangs up, expression full of mild panic and worry, opening the fridge and peering in. There's a few jugs of milk and lemonade, as well as near spoiled meats and cheeses. After pushing those items aside, she spots a small bag of formula at the back, and eagerly grabs it. 

"Thank God." She sighs in relief, quickly opening the cabinets around them to search for a baby bottle. 8-Ball watches, before glancing down at the child, who was gripping the fabric of his shirt. 

Soon, Py is holding the infant and sitting down, gently feeding it the bottle, face looking a little relieved. The aforementioned baby is eagerly drinking up the formula, eyes closed. 

"..Good God. Never expected this." She chuckles weakly. 

The rest of the gang had arrived at this point, and were now watching with a mix of fascination and horror. While they weren't part of a actual gang yet, they had formed a sort of group amongst themselves, meant to stick together and help each other out. 

Hectorgon is tapping his lip, brow furrowed. "..Pacifire, you said you and Keyhole staked out the house right?"

The stout teen nodded, face grim. "We saw the presumed owners leave a few days ago. We thought they were simply on vacation."

Pyronica pipes up, putting the bottle down as the baby has had it's fill. "Evidently not...If we hadn't busted in this kid would've.."

she trails off, letting the unsaid certainty hang in the air above them. Teeth growls, fists clenched. "I've seen a lot of dead beat parents, but these guys take the asshole cake by a landslide. We know what we have to do right?"

They all look over at him, and he straightens, pointing at the baby. "We're gonna take care of this little guy."

Keyhole stares in surprise. "What? Teeth, have you lost your mind?"

"This kid would be sleeping with the fishes without us, and it's not like anyone else is gonna do anything to help him!"

"We're just a bunch of teens in high-school! For gods sake, the only reason we started this club is because we were tired of having shit lives!"

"Then don't you think we should help the baby with his life? Sure, our parents are utter shit, but they didn't abandon us as infants to die in our cribes! We'll raise this kid right, make sure he's never brought down to be the scum on everyone's shoe, give him a second chance!" 

Everyone looks at each other, 8-Ball furrowing his brow. "What about money?"

"We get jobs, and unlike the last few times, we  _keep them_."

"You sure we can do that?" Py shifts nervously.

Teeth nods, looking determined. "I'm positive."

Everyone looks at each other, then they nod. "Alright. We'll do it!"

Teeth holds out his hand, the others doing the same, grouped together. "Let's raise this kid so he can have a chance at redemption!"

They all cheer.

~----~ 

Dipper is suddenly snapped out of his vision when a hand taps him on the shoulder. "Hey Pine Tree. Where'd you get all those tattoos?"

His eyes open, seeing Bill staring at him with awe and fascination, eyes darting over the images that slowly swirl and change across the demons skin. He sighs, and stands. "They've been there since my existence. I presume the part is over?"

Bill shrugs. "Yeah, Kryptos got soda-logged and they all had to go home. Py left me some groceries so it's all good."

"I see. What time is it?"

"10:30."

Dipper then points upward. "Then you should get to bed."

Bill pouts childishly, brow furrowing. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fiiiine."

The boy stomps up to his room, leaving the demon to do whatever downstairs. Said demon walks into the kitchen, which is now covered in sticky puddles of soda, and grabs another can of aforementioned liquid, snapping his fingers. 

With a burst of blue fire, all the mess dissappears and Dipper sighs to himself as he cracks open the can, taking a small sip. 

What a peculiar child his client is.

Wanting to commandeer the world under an influential cult, yet he ends up literally exploding bottles of carbonated sugar with his caretakers.

...Certainly more interesting than his other clients...

...He still hasn't made the decision yet, but maybe, when this deal of theirs is over, he doesn't have to die.

Maybe. 

 


	7. The Intrigue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys!

The next morning, Dipper pretty much has to drag Bill out of bed, the kid complaining loudly all the while. 

Dipper growls as the two walk to the bus stop. "Did you even sleep at all?"

Bill, rubbing the crust from his eyes, nods. "Of course I slept. Just took a long time. Think it was around 1:00 when I finally went under."

The demon resists the urge to slap him upside the head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You can't be sleep-deprived like that. Not with those plans of yours."

"I'm not! I just get fidgety and then can't sleep."

"You could ask me to put you to sleep, you know." 

Bill raises a brow. "How? Magic?"

Dipper deadpans. "A headlock."

This causes the kid to immediately guard his throat with his hands, yet he laughs. "Good one!" 

Dipper rolls his eyes in response, finally reaching the stop and sitting down in the dirt. Bill looks down at the demon, leaning on his cane. "What exactly were you doing during the party?"

The brunet gently taps his forehead. "My third eye has the power to absorb knowledge from anything it sees. I was able to peer into the information hidden in the house...You were abandoned, yes?"

Bill shrugs. "From what the boys told me, yeah. Don't really remember what my birth parents looked like, not that it matters. They left me to die in that crib, so why should I spare them any thought?"

The demon's gaze flickers up to his client, then back down. "I see.."

The mutter is so quiet, Bill barely picks up on the bitter tone inside. He raises a brow but decides not to question it, going quiet when other kids start to approach. 

~----~ 

The school clearly still isn't used to the new kid; people either stare at Dipper like he's grown a second head, some even going up and trying to get him to talk, either by trying to engage in conversation or poking him. 

Bill ends up driving those people off, though in a much more careful way than he did with Gideon, careful not to creep them out too badly.

Said albino munchkin was now fixedly staring at Bill from across the room, muttering to himself. "Somethin' ain't right, Paz. That kid isn't normal."

A rather pretty blonde girl sat across from Gideon, calmly munching away on a carrot stick. Her eyes are half-lidded in slight boredom, foot bouncing against her chair. "You're just over-reacting. I mean, Bill is weird, sure, but I really doubt he  _threatened_ you." 

"I know what he did, Paz, and that was damn near choking me with that cane." 

"Sure. You know, if you were to spy on anyone, I expected it to be that new kid." 

Gideon huffs, sipping his chocolate milk. "Can't exactly do that: Bill threatened me when I started asking questions."

Pacifica raises a brow, turning her eyes toward the new kid. "And that doesn't seem suspicious to you? If Bill  _did_ threaten you over that, then maybe he has something to hide."

Gideon nods to himself. "You're right about that, but if you think I'm going near Cipher without any sort of self-defense after that display, you're crazy." 

The girl rolls her eyes, getting up from the table. "You're a wuss, you know that? If you don't want to question him, I will." 

Gideon's eyes widen. "Wait, Paz-!"

But Pacifica already turned and was walking toward Bill and Dipper's table, arms folded in an air of confidence. 

Bill looks up when he sees someone approaching, and smiles, almost unhinged in a way. "Hello there, Llama! What can I-"

"I'm not talking to you, Cipher. I'm talking to  _him_." Pacifica cuts him off, pointing at Dipper. Bill blinks at this, opening his mouth to protest but is quickly shot down when the girl glares daggers at him. 

So he just shrugs and leans back, eyes flickering over to Dipper to see what he'll do. 

The demon is looking down, brow furrowed. Why did his client call that girl "Llama?" It made no sense.... 

He feels oddly nervous, and confused, the same reaction he had when looking at the doodle of a one-eyed triangle. But why?

He flinches ever so slightly when Pacifica slams her hands down onto the table in front of him, looking up quickly. 

The girl glares at him some, back straightened, clearly showing she isn't going to take silence for an answer. "What's your name?"

Dipper smiles. "It's what I use to identify myself as."

Pacifica blinks, then narrows her eyes. "What do you call yourself?"

"My name."

"Who are you?" 

"I am me."  

"Where did you come from?"

"My house."

"Where is your house?"

"In the neighborhood?"

"Where in the neighborhood?"

"On a street."

"Which street?"

"My street of course."

Bill looks like he's ready to burst out laughing at the utterly pissed look on Pacifica's face, the girl seeming like she's ready to strangle Dipper, who is just sitting in his seat with a smug little grin.  

"Why won't you just answer the question?!"

The demon chuckles, his third eye flickering open for the briefest second. "My sister would like you."

Pacifica blinks at this, completely caught off guard. Then she slowly turns and walks away, leaving Bill to guffaw freely. 

~----~ 

"So, who was that person anyway?" Dipper asks, as he and Bill exit the school bus. 

The kid blinks, then shrugs nonchalantly. "Pacifica Northwest. She's one of the richest kids in school, as well as the step-sibling to Gideon. You really made her angry!" 

"Heh. I could tell. So, I presume we'll be discussing plans this evening?"

"Might as well, considering we'll need the gang in order to actually put it in place." 

"Of course." 

~----~ 

 Pacifica enters her room quietly, shutting the door despite Gideon's protests to wait, and flicking on the lights. 

Its lavished with comfortable furniture, as well as a few boxes of jewelry here and there, though she mostly keeps it rather neat.

She takes a deep breath, still feeling herself shaking slightly from what she saw. She quickly grabs her laptop and turns it on, frowning thinly, aiming to do reasearch. 

In the middle of that kid's forehead, was a glowing blue eye.


	8. The First Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will start to pick up..

It's a quiet night, the only sound being the near inaudible chirping of crickets, everyone in the neighborhood having gone to sleep, stars twinkling in the sky above their houses. 

Bill smirks to himself, hiding his bright yellow shirt with a dark hoodie. "What's the plan again?"

Dipper watches him, lips quirked up in amusement. "We travel to the nearby park. Leave a sort of...mural indicating our presence. Get the public all curious and confused."

The child snickers to himself, practically bouncing from excitement. The rest of the gang is in the other room, organizing their supplies due to Hectorgon's whining. Pyronica had sketched out everything, and from what Dipper could tell, it looked pretty nice. 

This would be interesting.

Soon, everything is ready, and the back door to Bill's home creaks open quietly, before hooded figures dart out, hopping over the wooden fence encircling the backyard and scattering in different directions; it would just look suspicious if they were traveling in one group. 

Dipper, being a demon, just turns himself invisible, running alongside Bill, who's grinning so hard it looks like his face will crack in half, giggling madly in naughty glee. Dipper just sighs, whispering. "Could you calm down just a bit? We're not blowing up a military base."

"Yet."

"That's not my point, Bill."

"I know, I just don't care." 

Dipper very nearly smacks him, but just bites his lip and ignores the sass. He can vaguely hear Teeth and 8-Ball singing some random song as they run, laughing in between their words. 

Such weird caretakers they are. 

~----~ 

Soon, all of them reach the destination: a nearby park with a multitude of playground areas, including one that's a brick wall maze. 

Py decides to have fun with their plan, traveling into the heart of the maze and setting up the sketch there. "Just imagine the kids faces when they come through and see  _this_! That'll really get word spreading around!" 

Dipper sits on top of a wall, nodding. "Clever thinking there."

"Aww, thanks, kid!" 

"I'm at least a trillion years old."

"Whatever, I don't care."

Spray-paint cans are shaken, the group willing and ready to begin, and the demon keeps his eyes peeled for any rangers or cops that may be patrolling.

All of them have bandanas around their mouths to block out the fumes, the paint expertly coating the walls as they work, even Bill is quiet, focusing on getting the lines perfectly colored in. 

It takes a few hours, but the sketch is complete. 

A one-eyed triangle surrounded by blue fire, along with monstrous versions of the Henchmaniacs themselves, all of them laughing and carrying ghastly grins. 

Dipper clicks his tongue, feeling the same prickle of nervousness as those other times before. 

Why does this keep happening?

Why is it always involving names or symbols? 

 _What is going on_? 

~----~ 

A girl runs through the forest as fast as her legs can carry her, teeth gritted in concentration and slight terror as she picks up on the pursuing footsteps. 

She saw the pages. 

The plan to gain control of Knowledge. 

She knew how unsteady things were before, one trying to cover everything in secrets, the other trying sheer luck and trickery to keep her on their side. 

And by seeing those plans, she knew that all of that effort went up in smoke. They deem her a threat, now that she knew.

She spots a clearing beyond the trees, and races toward it, feeling the magic thrum through her body like a heart beat. 

She passes the trees. 

Her foot comes down on the dirt. 

Pain blasts through her body, almost ripping her right out of the body, shrill screaming filling the air as runes light up across the ground. 

She got chased right into a demons trap.  

She hisses in agony, the magic draining her energy to the point where she sinks onto her hands and knees, eyes flashing pink in rage as the two figures calmly walk around to the front of the circle. 

She snarls, trying her best to struggle against the trap, digging her claws into the dirt in an attempt to sever the connection. "Really doubted my trust that much, huh? Setting traps all over in case I found out?"

"Well, you  _did_ find out. If anything it's good judgement." 

She hisses in response, mind scrambling for a solution to get out of this, and the first figure steps closer to the trap. "I'm afraid we can't let you spread word to anyone. Especially not him." 

"How the hell do you know if I'll do that or not? I sided with  _you_!" 

"Yes, but you hide the secret that you still care. And that is too much of a risk to take." 

She grits her teeth, preparing herself, before a blinding light floods the area, shattering the trap  immediately like it was nothing but wet paper. The figures shout in mild pain, one quickly looking up to see a retreating light. "DAMN IT! SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" 

"Don't bother. The trap took a large chunk of magic. She won't be able to obtain human form for quite some time." 

"And that's a good thing?!"

"She can't blend in. She can't shapeshift. She. Can't. Hide. Get the picture?" 

"..Yeah. Guess so."

"Come on. We have much to do." 

The first figure snaps their fingers, and all the charred remains if the trap fade away as if it never happened.

Both sink back into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Since everyone seems to like this AU idea, I was hoping you guys could help spread this around on Tumblr! 
> 
> It would help this get more popular, and since I have plenty other BillDip ideas, I want more people to see my work! 
> 
> I would really appreciate it!


	9. The Shooting Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheh! This is gonna be fun!

A few days after, and the news about the mural explodes. People are mystified at the painting on the wall and the implications behind Bill's symbol. 

Of course, people debated on whether or not they take the painting down, some calling it "blasphemous graffiti", while others are insisting it's some sort of hidden conspiracy. 

Bill just laughs at them all, delighted that the trick worked like a charm. The rest of the group celebrates with a movie marathon, which Dipper attends to out of curiosity.

The night ends with all of the group in a giant snuggle pile, all of them snoring and twitching on top of each other. Dipper merely sighs, cleans up any mess, and sits down to keep watch. 

~----~ 

Thankfully, the school is now more distracted about the mural this time, so less people bother Dipper in an attempt to make him talk, much to the demons relief. 

Though, he notices how oddly that Pacifica girl stares at him now, body going still and her eyes shrinking in slight terror. He feels a pang of suspicion in his gut, making his fists clench a bit. 

Did she see his third eye? Did she know he was a demon? 

He hoped that wasn't the case, as he really wants to keep his hands clean during the parts of the deal where they must be inconspicuous. That, and it would make an enemy out of that fat Gideon child as well. 

Bill notices how Dipper's face is pinched, and tilts his head. "What is it, Pine Tree?"

The demon glances at him for a second. "..We may need to keep  an eye on Gideon's step-sibling."

Bill blinks at that, then furrows his brow, tapping his chin. "Yeah, she could be trouble. Llama may seem to be another pretty face, but she's wickedly smart."

Dipper once again feels a pang of nervousness from the nickname, but ignores it, ears picking up on a conversation at a table across from them. 

"Wait, you  _saw_ it?!"

"Yeah! I was sitting at my porch outside when it streaked across the sky! Everyone keeps saying it was a comet or sonething."

"Wow. First that weird pyramid painting at the park, now a comet? Things are getting weird!" 

"But that's not the craziest thing about it. When I saw it fly above my house, I swear it looked just like a rainbow. A wave of bright vibrant color that tailed it!"

"Oh my God!"

Dipper feels his heart freeze in his chest, both terror and anger lancing down his spine, and he quickly yanks his hat over his forehead, feeling his third eye snap open to absorb the information. 

Images flash through his head, of news footage recording the supposed "comet" that passed over the entire town, of articles and websites analyzing the strange event and trying to make sense of it. 

His teeth grit so hard it feels like they're about to shatter. 

NO. 

_NO._

"Pine Tree?" Bill's eyes are wide, having placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping the demon out of his panic. He grabs his clients hand, ignoring the yelps of protest as he yanks him out of the classroom, not even caring about the other student's startled looks. 

Bill stumbles a bit as he keeps up with Dipper's pace, eyes wide with disbelief. "What the  _hell_ are you-?!"

"Call the gang."

"Wha-? I can't! They're working right now!"

"All of them?"

"Well, Py isn't, but-" 

"JUST DO IT." 

Bill blinks, then reaches for his phone, calling Pyronica's number. When she answers, he clears his throat. "Hey, Py? I need you to come by my place, okay? I'm fine, but something has Pine Tree spooked."

"Wow, that doesn't sound good. Ok, I'll be over as soon as I can!" 

She then hangs up, and Bill pockets his phone. "Pine Tree, will you just tell me what's going on?"

"Not yet." 

The kid just sighs, continuing to run.

~----~ 

When they get back to the house, Dipper is practically tearing his hair out, eyes wide open, darting around everywhere, blue embers flicking from his hands if there's so much a noise. 

Bill stares, almost unnerved at how weird the demon is acting. He's always kept calm no matter what, and suddenly he just loses his cool? 

Theres the sound of keys unlocking the back door. "Boss? I'm here! You two okay?!" 

Py rounds the corner.

Dipper's eyes shrink.

In her arms, glowing softly, was a yellow one-eyed star, clawed hands gently wrapped around the woman's wrists. 

There's a moment of silence. The star stiffens, eye snapping open in horror. 

All hell breaks loose. 

Dipper screams in rage, eyes turning black, teeth elongating into grizzly fangs, nails sharpening into black claws as his hands burst into flames, blindly chucking one at the Star.

Py shrieks and dives to the side, the Star quickly shooting into the air, leaving behind a trail of color. It stares, dodging as Dipper launches another ball of fire, objects starting to catch alight. 

Bill screams, attempting to grab the demons arm to stop the sudden attack, but is flung back hard, smacking his head against a coffee table with a loud  _crack_ , nearly knocking him out and causing his vision to swim. 

The Star weaves and dodges the magical projectiles, waving their limbs wildly. "Dipper!  _Dipper!_ STOP!"

"I know why you're here! And I know what you being here means! I'M NEVER GOING BACK!!" 

"Just listen-"

"I WILL NOT LET THEM DO THAT TO ME ANYMORE!!"

The Star growls, eye flashing pink, and Dipper is suddenly flung against a wall, screaming and flailing like a rabid dog. He can feel the magic, invasive and full of glitter, weave it's way into his mind, only making him screech even louder, fighting the invisible   bonds with reckless abandon. 

Suddenly it all stops. 

Dipper slumps in the hold, body perfectly normal, and all the fire, which had caught on several objects, is gone. 

The magic had sealed off it's anger. 

The demons face is near blank, save for a grimace. "..You know I hate it when you do that, Mabel."

The Star, now known as Mabel, sighs in relief. "Good, that worked. Now that you aren't in a murderous rage, can you please just  _listen_?" 

"...If you're going to drag me to them, just do it. No use prolonging the torture."

"For fucks sake,  _I AM NOT HERE TO TAKE YOU BACK_!!"

Dipper slowly raises his head, blinking. "...Why not?"

Mabel clenches her fists, eye glancing down, before sighing. "Dipper, I'm here to help you."

She looks up. "They're after me, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> PLEASE COMMENT!!


	10. The Others

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheh. I'm excited to post this one!

When the rest of the gang finally make it to the house, they see Bill sitting on a chair with a bandaged head, Dipper sitting at his feet and looking down. 

Pyronica is uninjured, holding onto a little yellow star, single eye closed in thought. 

"What in hell is that?!" Teeth shrieks, pointing at Mabel, who merely blinks her eye open lazily. 

"Another demon, apparently. Seems to know Dipper. I had found her in the little patch of trees just outside my house, and well, I couldn't just  _leave_ her there..." Py shrugs sheepishly. 

Mabel sighs, flapping a hand at Dipper nonchalantly. "Dipper's my brother. I'm a Demon of Emotion, where he is a Demon of Knowledge."

Bill blinks, eyes wide. "Pine Tree has a sister?" He then looks at said demon in slight irritation. "Why didn't you tell me you had a family?"

Dipper sighs, glaring slightly. "It wasn't important, had nothing to do with the deal, and, I can't stress this enough,  _I didn't want to_." 

Pyronica furrows her brow. "Well, why the hell did you flip out so much when you saw her?" 

"I thought she was trying to capture me and bring me to...Nevermind. It's nothing."

Pacifire scoffs. "Bullshit! If it was actually nothing, you'd talk about it." 

Dipper glares harder. "Well I won't, and I'm not  _going to_."

"And why the hell not?!"

"It's none of your buisness." The demon growls, eyes flashing blue for a moment. 

Mabel sees this and sighs. "Guys, you really shouldn't be talking to him right now. He's still quite nettled at my presence and I don't want that anger to boil over into unyielding rage."

This gets Pacifier to back off, going quiet. Bill, seeming to have recovered from his head injury, stands. "That doesn't explain why you're here, though."

"..Both me and Dipper are sort of hiding from...other people, I guess I can call them. We've had a history with them, and it eventually caused us to split apart. You could say our relationship has been...shaky."

Bill taps his chin in thought. "So, you need a place to stay, Hm?"

"Yup."

"And you're just as strong as Pine Tree?"

"Yup."

A devious, wicked grin forms into the child's face, making his appearance turn twisted. "How about a deal?" 

The rest of the gang blink, then chuckle gleefully. Dipper sighs, knowing what his client is planning. 

Mabel blinks, then hovers up in the air to face Bill at eye-level. "I'm listening."

"Well, Shooting Star, let's just say I have big plans for this world. I want to bring this rock under new management. Bring these people a party that never ends. And the only way I can do that is with the help of demons." 

Mabel's pupil slits in delight at the thought. Dipper knows she must be thinking about the olden days. "..Is that so?"

Bill smirks, twirling his cane. "Yep. And I can assure you, if you join me, I'll make sure to rip those guys that're chasing you limb from limb."

Mabel smirks, raising a hand, alighting it with magenta flames. "Deal." 

Bill shakes it. "Welcome to the team, Shooting Star." 

Dipper tries to ignore the now-familiar nervousness worming into his gut. 

~----~

Its late at night, Bill upstairs and snoring away, the rest of the gang having gone home after making sure he was ok. Dipper is sitting downstairs, keeping watch for any intruders as he does every night. 

He can faintly see Mabel's true form glowing as she floats around the house, a rainbow of color trailing behind her every move. He watches a bit, heart tightening a bit less in his chest.

He always found the colors to be soothing. 

Mabel soon drifts into the living room, carrying a small bowl of Oreos in her claws. She sits a few feet away from him, eye shifting into a fanged mouth as she eats one. Dipper looks her over. "...Why are you not in a body?"

She chews up the cookie before swallowing. "They had me in a demon's trap. In order to get away I had to abandon it." 

"That's dangerous you know. We need physical bodies to hide ourselves. So, couldn't they just track you here?"

"We technically are physical, Dipper. And no, they can't. Not if I get a body fast enough."

He furrows his brow, going quiet for a second. Then, Dipper sighs, holding out his hand and lighting it. "Here. This should be enough to  give you another body."

Mabel pauses in taking a bite if another cookie, staring. Dipper growls. "Hurry up." 

This prompts a small mutter as she takes his hand. Dipper shudders, feeling a chunk of magic drain from his own body and into hers, watching as her true form lights up and dissappears. It's replaced by that human body he's been so familiar with, meant to be the opposite of his own. 

Mabel stretches and yawns, picking up the Oreo again and popping it into her mouth. "Mm..That feels better."

Dipper sighs, shaking his head. "I'll never get why you like being in those bodies. It feels so...cramped."

"Heh. Not for me. It's kind of funny to see from the perspective of these humans." 

"..Hm."  

Mabel glances at him, her smile dropping. She looks away, feeling the tension in the air. 

Its silent for the rest of the night.

~----~ 

Two kids run past the trees, causing cicadas and crickets to cease their racket of hisses and chirps. One child pants slightly, tailing behind the other. "P-Paz! Why in Sam Hill are we out here?"

"Because I want to show you something."

"And why exactly could we not stay in your room?!"

"You know how Dad constantly barges in without knocking. I don't want him to see this."

The two finally stop in a small clearing, Gideon heaving for breath, Pacifica holding a light folder of papers. She quickly kneels on the ground and flips the file open. "You know how I tried to talk to that kid sitting next to Cipher?"

Gideon looks at her in slight confusion. "Yeah? What about it?" 

"..I swear the kid had a third eye on his forehead."

A moment of silence with Gideon staring at his step-sibling. "...Paz, did you accidentally eat Smile Dip again?"

Pacifica growls, brow furrowing in anger. "No! I'm serious! Just look at what I found! She then picks up a sheet of paper and shoves it in his face. 

The paper depicts a photo of hieroglyphics, displaying a drawing of Egyptian servants bowing in front of a shape with a singular eye, looking distinctly like a cartoonish pine tree. There is a small article underneath.  

' _In ancient Egyptian culture, there appeared to be a sort of god that would randomly appear every generation and bestow knowledge upon anyone willing to make a deal with it. It sometimes is said that the god would appear as a child with brown hair and 3 eyes._ ' 

Gideon frowns to himself, feeling even more confused. "What the...?"

Pacifica sits up, laying out even more papers. "And that's not all! This same figure has appeared numerous times throughout ancient culture! Celtic, Mayan, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Aztec,  _everything_. And it always notes a kid with three eyes!"

Gideon starts to feel suspicion well in his gut. "So, you think Cipher made a deal with a supposed ancient god?" 

"What else would I think?"

A voice, deep and smooth like a large bell, speaks up behind them. "Pardon me."

Gideon squeals, sounding like a pig getting it's tail pulled, and darts behind Pacifica who whirls around in a defensive position. 

Two pairs of eyes shine through the darkness of the forest, the former being a piercing red, the latter a haunting golden.

The yellow-eyed being steps forward, clad in a beige trenchcoat, red turtleneck sweater, and black pants that dip into muddy boots. It appears to be human, and an old one at that; it's hair is a shiny silver, and it's chin has the slightest hint of facial hair. 

Pacifica glares, ready to throw a punch if this turns threatening. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

The being chuckles lightly, kneeling down on one foot to pick up an article. "Me and my brother happened to notice you were talking about a child with three eyes. Could you tell me the context?" 

"..He appeared in our school a few days ago. No one knew his name, where he came from, nothing. All we know is that he's always seen with the weirdo of the school: a kid named Bill Cipher."

The second being steps forward, placing a hand on the other's shoulder, who had violently tensed up. "You ok, Point-Dexter?"

"..Yes, Stanley. I'm fine." 

The second being, now known as Stanley, appeared to be of a similar age as the first one, hair the same silver color, though his face carried a hefty five o' clock shadow. He wears a fancy suit, though the tie is undone and upper buttons completely left alone. Stanley also holds a cane with an 8-Ball on top, and has a bright red fez that has a weird crescent mark in the middle. 

Pacifica shifts a bit, eyes narrowing. "Do you know this kid?"

The first figure nods, letting go of the paper, which had crumpled in his hand. "Yes, we do. His name is Dipper. You could say we're relatives of his. And we've been looking for him for a long time." 

The girl nods slowly, shoulders tense. "Ooookay..."

The being smirks, and holds out a hand, which bursts into yellow flame. "My name is Stanford Pines, Demon of Mystery. My brother, Stanley Pines, is the Demon of Luck. And with our help, you can get to the bottom of this investigation you've started." 

Pacifica stares down at the outstretched hand, noticing dimly how it has six fingers. "..What do I have to do?"

"I'll explain later. What do you say?" 

Gideon is shaking, clutching onto her coat. 

Pacifica takes a deep breath, and grabs his hand. "It's a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, everyone! 
> 
> I want to know what you all think!


	11. The Capture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Went into a bit of a creative slump.

The next day comes, and Bill leaves for school, quickly being followed by Dipper, who seems a bit more tense this time around, lapsing back into that nigh-silent state before they even reach the bus. 

Mabel watches them leave from a window, having been ordered to stay and stand guard. Or at least how she wants to think of it as. Really, she had to stay home because it would've been suspicious if another random new student suddenly appeared. Especially when her and Dipper look so similar. 

So, after briefly setting up a small barrier around the house, careful not to use too much magic, she promptly face-plants into an armchair, grumbling gibberish into the cushions.

She knows its important to lay low as to not be caught by the Grunkles, but it doesn't change the fact that stealth is  _soooo_ boring! The she-demon flops onto her back, deciding to turn on the TV to see if anything good is on. 

~----~ 

Bill raises a brow, noticing that Gideon doesn't seem to be in class today. That's rather off: the whiny child is notorious for not missing a single day. So, why is he suddenly gone? 

Dipper's third eye flickers under his hat, likely having processed the same information, and the two share a glance. 

It's probable at this point that those two may become a problem. 

Then when lunch rolls around, they see Pacifica sitting alone at her regular table, looking almost nervous. Bill and Dipper share another glance. 

~----~ 

Mabel pauses, quickly muting the TV. 

She swears she heard something. A small bump coming from upstairs, muffled by the floorboards. And no one else is home. 

Which meant someone got past the barrier. 

Mabel curses in her head, teeth immediately curling into fangs as her anger quickly grows. She leaps to her feet and tears up the stairs, nails elongating into talons that ignite pink flames. She swings open the door to Bill's room, eyes blazing with rage. 

A small, pudgy, albino child shrieks with fear, dropping a small notebook that he had picked up, diving toward the open window he had entered. Mabel snatches the child by the back of his shirt, violently throwing him to the other side of the room, where he crashes into the closet door, squealing in pain. 

Mabel grabs him by the neck, claws threatening to pierce the thick flesh. "You have ten seconds to tell me why you're here before I slit your throat open."

The kid stares, almost crying with fear. "W-Wait! I-I'm just here to..To...Uh...Grab something of Bill's!"

"Then why didnt you just  _knock on the damn door_?" 

"I-I didn't know a-anyone was home!" 

"So, you couldn't just leave a note? You're a really stupid kid." Mabel poises her claws to rip his throat out, grin wide and insane, ready to feel the blood spilling across her skin like she and Dipper used to do-

She screams as the sharp end of a pen is stabbed right into her eye, making the she-demon recoil and claw at her face in pain and rage. She gets knocked back onto the floor, then nothing but silence, save for the crazed growls of one angry demon. 

Mabel finally grabs the pen and yanks it out, unfortunately taking the rest of the eyeball with it, causing blood to leak down her face. The optic nerve hangs in the socket for a second before she just rips it off in a small fit of frustration. 

She tosses the bloody organ onto the bed, getting up and walking out, fangs gritted in anger, grabbing the phone Bill left her to use and roughly punching in the number. 

~----~ 

Dipper watches as Bill blinks when walking out of the school, pulling out his phone from his pants pocket. He glances at the screen. "..Shooting Star is calling me?"

He answers the phone, and all that can be heard for a few moments is incoherent high-pitched screaming coming from the speaker. Dipper stares as Bill winces.

When Mabel seems to have calmed down, Bill starts talking. "Ok, Shooting Star, could you repeat that in English. Ok, don't need that, don't need the swearing. Look, just tell me." 

After they talk, Bill hangs up. "Someone tried breaking in." 

The demon's eyes widen in surprise, and he growls. "Let's not take the bus. We're walking." 

"No, you walk, Pine Tree. I gotta take the bus or people will notice. I'll be fine, just go."  

Dipper stares, then sighs, nods, and starts running off. 

Bill turns and walks in the general direction of the buses, when in the corner of his eye sees Pacifica enter one of the smaller side doors lining the school. His eyes narrow and he follows, suspicious. 

He makes sure to keep a distance if a few feet, walking discreetly as to not raise fear. Pacifica turns a corner. Bill follows.

A blunt object swings around and cracks him right in the nose, sending the boy crashing to the ground with a squawk of pain, curses spilling from his mouth as he cradles his bleeding nose. Pacifica unsteadily holds a baseball bat, looking slightly frightened as she holds it out defensively. 

"D-Dont move. Don't move or I'll hit you again." 

"Llama, what the hell?!" Bill snarls in pain and rage, face bloody. The lights above them flicker and go out for the briefest moment. 

A man is standing behind the girl, eyes glowing gold. He smirks triumphantly. "Apologies, Mr.Cipher. But I'm afraid you'll be coming with us." 

The lights go out again, and Bill barely catches sight of an 8-Ball cane before there's blinding pain and everything goes dark.


	12. The Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support! I appreciate it!

The first thing Dipper saw when he got home was the open window, leading into Bill's room. A ladder was tipped over on the ground, most likely having been used by whoever was stupid enough to try and sneak inside. 

The second thing was a snarling, angry Mabel, one eyeball missing from its socket, face stained with blood. She was breathing hard from her mouth, fangs so sharp little beads of red are pricked from the skin of her lips, claws digging violently into a pillow that was previously on the couch. 

Dipper stares a bit at his sister, then sighs. "Ok, you can stop throwing a hissy fit. I'm here." 

Mabel glares at him venemously. "That brat got away. I had him pinned and he got away!"

"Thank you Captain Obvious."

"Piss off, maggot-breath."

"Ooh, using pirate talk now? You must be _so mad_." 

The she-demon grits her teeth, slicing through her lower lip, staining her mouth red. "Dipper. Shut.  _Up."_

The boy sighs, getting a handkerchief out of a pocket and walking over to her. "Christ, and you say _I_ have anger issues."

She snatches the cloth from his hand, dabbing gingerly at her lip and socket. "We're demons. There's a difference."

"Whatever. Did the guy steal anything?"

"I think he tried to nab a notebook or something. I pinned him down, but he stabbed my eye out with a pen." 

"Yeesh. Surprised your guard was down."

"..I may have gotten excited. Haven't killed anything in a good while. You know, back when-" 

Dipper growls warningly. "I will tear out your throat if you mention any time before those bastards abandoned me." 

Mabel stares, an expression of hurt and irritation twisting her features, eyes flaring magenta. "Well, excuse me for trying to focus on good times! For trying to bury the hatchet!"

"The hatchet was burned to ashes a while ago."

"Dipper, do you seriously not trust me?"

"You've given me plenty of reasons not to." 

Mabel goes quiet, looking away, body language screaming of frustration as her claws clench. 

"..Watch it. That's my favorite/only handkerchief." Dipper mumbles on instinct, and his sister angrily tosses the blood-stained cloth in his face, pulling up her sweater over her head. 

"Fuck off. I'm in sweater town." 

"Yeah, yeah."

Dipper grumbles profanities as he walks up to Bill's room to investigate. It was painted an almost teal color, overflowing with books, and the walls were decorated with childish drawings, most likely doodles drawn by his client.

He cringes a bit at the sight of Mabel's eyeball lying on the pillow, the pen still lodged into it. He considers tossing it out the window, but there would be no doubt if the neighbors seeing it, so he decides to leave it be for now. 

He lifts up his hat, allowing his third eye to open. 

He sees Mabel getting stabbed and screeching as she struggles to get the pen out, the figure swiping up the dropped notebook-

Dipper's other eyes shoot open, shock turning his blood into ice. 

No wonder Gideon wasn't at school.

He was sneaking into Bill's house.

~----~

Bill groans, his head aching, feeling like he got hit in the head with a hammer, eyes heavy as they flutter open. His vision is blurry, as to expected from a blow to the skull, and he grits his teeth in an effort to regain focus.

He appears to be in a dark damp room, kind of looking like a basement, the walls literally crumbling chunk by chunk. He tries to move but finds his arms and legs to be tied to a chair. He growls in irritation. "If you two crusty old farts are trying to be secretive and spooky, it's not working." 

A gruff chuckle. "This kid has a spine."

Two golden eyes roll in annoyance as Ford strides out from the shadows, hands behind his back. "Need I remind you, he is a prisoner, Stanley?"

Stan shrugs, lighting up a cigar by pressing his thumb to the end. "I know. You just don't see a lot of children with guts. I like that." 

"Stanley, we don't smoke around clients."

"Aw, they ain't back yet. The blondie is still upstairs waiting for her brother to come back from that task you asked him to do."

Bill sits up, glaring as he listens to the two, but his eyes widen at the last part. "Wait...You two are working for Llama and Shortstack?"

Ford's eyes snap to Bill's and the demon's glasses turn reflective, images flashing upon the shades like a television screen. "..Hm..You mean Pacifica and Gideon Gleefull. You give nicknames to people?"

"Yeah, but only if I like them." 

"Hm."

The door to the basement opens, and the previously mentioned kids dash down the stairs, the former glaring at the elder demons, in which Stanley sighs and stomps out his cigar.

"You didn't tell me or Gideon that there would be  _another_ demon at the house!" Pacifica growls, shoulders raised in fury as she points accusingly at Ford.

He stares for a second, then chuckles. "My apologies, Pacifica. I didn't know that my grand niece succeeded in finding her other half."

Gideon blinks, having bandaging tape around his neck. "Y-You mean that she-devil that nearly ripped my throat out was Dipper's sister?"

"Indeed. The Demon of Emotions. One no less powerful then Knowledge, and just as dangerous. I hope you weren't harmed, Gideon." 

"..Uh..It's fine. You didn't know."

Bill starts to struggle, getting the other children to notice him. "You broke into my house?! How did you even know where it is?!"

Ford smirks, raising a hand to tap his glasses, images flickering to show Bill's home. "Simple: you wanted no one to know. You wanted to keep it  _secret_. And I can uncover or reveal any piece of information that tries to stay hidden." 

The bound child glares, writhing. "So, why exactly did you decide to whack me upside the head and tie me to a chair?" 

Stanley yawns, stretching. "We're just gonna crack open your skull and see why the hell you made a deal with our nephew is all. Maybe kill ya if you're a threat to the world. Who knows."

Bill stares, then giggles. "Good luck with trying to scare me or whatever. Little known fact about me: I think pain is hilarious." 

Ford frowns, walking behind Bill, hands lighting up in yellow flames. "We'll see if that's true."

"Why would I-" His words dissolve into a choked gurgle as the hands sink into his head, feeling metaphysical fingers poking and prodding around his mind. 

Pacifica stares, shell-shocked at what she sees. Bills eyes have gone pure white and his body goes as limp as a sack of potatoes, making Gideon recoil slightly.

Her eyes briefly flicker over to the other demon, who's watching with slight interest, leaning against a wall. Their eyes meet for a moment, and Stan chuckles. "Kinda gruesome, isn't it? Don't worry, I was just joking about the killing thing. We don't really do that; it's too messy and a waste of time."

"..Huh." 

Ford pulls his hands back, shades shifting from images to just regular lenses, Bill gasping for breath, coughing. The demon steps back, brow raised. "Hmm...Abandoned as a child to die, only to be rescued by a group of teenage misfits and thieves."

Pacifica blinks at these words, stunned. The weirdo was an orphan? No wonder they never saw any family of his. "..But why did he summon Dipper?" 

"Simple really. He's been growing an influential cult under the guise of a run-of-the-mill street gang. Quite crafty, aren't you?" He gazes down at Bill with a small smirk.

The restrained kid just starts laughing, making Gideon stare. "Heheheheh..Y-You call that pain? I've had Mosquitos give me more of a bite than that, Sixer."

...The whole room suddenly gains a haunting chill, making the others shudder in slight discomfort, Stan stepping forward as Ford remains still. "..Stanford? You ok?" 

"..That name...Why did you call me that name?" His voice is quiet, confused, and laced with something indescribable. 

Bill tilts his head, pupils shrinking as his grin widens. "Ooh, I think I hit a nerve there! What's wrong, you don't like that name, Sixer?" 

Ford's mouth twitches slightly. 

"Then how about Fordsy? Brainiac? Six-Fingers?"

Bill gasps as he's suddenly lifted up in the air by the neck, but his giggling only increases, even as Fords hands tighten around his windpipe, the demons eyes blazing with fury. 

 Stan yells, jolting forward to try and wrestle the maniac kid from Ford's grasp, Pacifica and Gideon staring in terror as Bill's laughter gets even louder. Finally, with one hard left hook to the jaw, Stanford is knocked away from their captive, who crashes to the floor, wheezing and giggling all the while. 

Ford is trembling and holding his head, Stan holding him steady so he doesn't fall over, casting an apologetic look at the terrified step-siblings, who look on silently. 

None of them notice Bill lifting his head up, throat bruised horribly from the crushing grip of an angry demon, eyes blazing with rage even as he smiles. "Anytime now, Pine Tree."

A flash of glass shattering, the sound of a lower window being broken, the sight of a bright pink sphere bouncing on the floor, before exploding in a massive cloud of glitter.

Both the demons and the children scream, the former physically rubbing frantically at their eyes, which are glowing in an instinctual attempt to fight off the magical effect the concoction had.

Pacifica and Gideon were writhing on the floor, minds jumbling around like a whirlwind, fear and anger and sorrow mixing and clashing like a ugly emotional soup, throats burning as they scream, sob, and curse, bodies straining from the rush if adrenaline and hormones spiking so quickly. 

Bill is curled into a tight ball, managing to bury his nose into his shirt to help stave off the reactions to the Madness glitter, smiling as he feels a pair of arms wrap around his middle, claws slashing away his bonds.

Everything goes fuzzy for a second as the glitter starts taking effect, but then Bill feels wind against his face, and his eyes crack open to see him being carried by Dipper, the young demon looking down-right murderous. 

Bill would be lying if he said that sight didnt make him look delicious. 

Huh. Where'd that thought come from? 

Dipper glances at him from the side of an eye. "Are you hurt?"

"A bit strangled, but I'm fine. They found out about my plan, though. Heheh." His head lolls back, probably having caught a whiff of the glitter, making him a bit loopy.

The demon just keeps running, ignoring the odd reason as to why the sight of that bruise makes him feel weird. 

~----~ 

It takes mere minutes for the Stan Twins to recover from the magical attack, but for the step-siblings, it takes hours.

It's a pitiful sight. The two children having to be held down like rabid animals, gasping and screeching for a single deep breath, tears streaming from their red, blood-shot eyes. When it finally subsides, Pacifica can't help but cry into Ford's turtleneck, despite the fact he tried strangling Bill.

Gideon just lays there, trembling and silent, not even flinching when Stan picks him up. 

It was natural for demons to be protective of their clients. By making deals, they were essentially handing over each other's souls: the demon's was the clients to use as they commanded, whatever they saw fit to completing their end. In return, after the client has what they want, the demon is free to do whatever they wish to them. 

To see these  _children_ being attacked so brutally by Mabel's magic, their clients, it filled the twins with anger. 

Their niece and nephew were monsters, through and through. 


	13. The Small Lull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is meant to be short. Think of it as a deep breathe.

The night is dark and cool, moonlight shining through Bill's window, said boy curled up in his bed, the effects of the glitter having wore off. 

He stares dimly at the floor, eyes dull as he thinks, mostly about Pine Tree. 

The demon, even though he's only been here for a few days, has actually started to grow on the kid. From the start, he was perfectly aware of the possibility that, when Bill gets his cult, Pine Tree will kill him and take his soul. 

His lips turn up in a small grin, chuckling despite his sore throat. Pine Tree always thinks he's all suave, but the kid can read him like a book. The demon finds him odd, curious, and so has been debating what to do with him when the deal is over. 

Bill has to admit, there were a few instances where Pine Tree caught his eye as well. Mostly that time when he was attempting to burn Shooting Star to a crisp. Sure, he panicked and tried to intervene on account of his stuff getting burned, but when it was all over, Bill had to admit that he looked...

...Very tantalizing. 

Maybe it was the glitter that brought these thoughts to light, but now they stuck to his mind like glue, and he can't shake them. Not that he doesn't want to. 

A knock on the door. "Bill, I know you're not sleeping."

The boy chuckles, sitting up. "Aww, you caught me!" 

A muffled sigh, and the door opens, Dipper walking in, hat and vest discarded, holding bandage tape and a bottle filled with some medicine of sorts. "We need to take care of those bruises. This cream should help a little."

The demon walks over, sitting on Bill's bed, tilting the blond's head up with a thumb. "Keep still."

Bill gives a thumbs-up, and he instinctively shivers when cool fingers slick with bruise medicine brushes his Adam's apple. It stings slightly, making him giggle, and Dipper growls softly, though the sound carries little bite to it.

Bill calmly looks up at the ceiling, lips still quirked up in a grin, focusing on the fingers on his throat.

...The...The fingers...that can change into claws...

...Claws that can...tear into his flimsy skin and stain his sheets red...

...All the while Pine Tree just stares down at him, smiling viciously, teeth sharp and sinking into-

Why is his face so hot?

Bill's grin quickly vanishes, turning into a tight-lipped neutral expression as he feels his cheeks burning. Oh boy, ohhh boy, he did  _not_ think this stuff 8-Ball talked about would happen to him yet.

The demon pauses for the briefest moment, then pulls back, Bill making a soft sound of surprise when the tape is wrapped around his neck. "There. Hopefully that should make the most of them fade."

Dipper stands, bangs shielding his forehead, and Bill slowly pulls his knees to his chest, looking more relaxed. "Yeah. Thanks, Pine Tree."

"Welcome. Now sleep."

Dipper steps out and shuts the door, Bill immediately flopping onto his pillow and crossing his legs. Ok, it seems he's learned two things about himself tonight. 

Now how does he deal with it?

~----~

Dipper is leaning on the door, face red and third eye wide open.

Why the fuck was his client fantasizing about the threat of him tearing open his throat and biting him? 

~----~

Ford watches as the step-children sleep, both of them snuggled on the couch with a blanket draped over them. Outside there's a faint red blur, Stan smoking a cigar on the porch. 

The TV is on, displaying a comic-book movie, Pacifica having suggested watching it as a way for her and Gideon to calm down. 

The elder demon sighs quietly, contemplating what to do. He hears a soft yawn, and he sees the girl cracking open an eye, sluggishly waking up. 

Ford watches as she rubs her left eye, looking around sleepily. "What time is it?"

"Around 1:00 AM. You slept for a while. You feeling ok?"

"..Yeah.."

Ford tries a smile, though it drops when Pacifica sits up, looking down. "...So, Bill is trying to destroy the world?"

He shifts. "Well, more like turn it into lawless anarchy."

"...He'll come after us. Because we know."

"We won't let that happen."

Pacifica looks up, her expression growing steely as she rests a hand on her step-brothers shoulder. "Help me. Help me take down Bill before he can ruin everything."

The elder demon stares as she holds up a hand, then chuckles. "That's been the idea."

They shake.


	14. The Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait.

A few weeks pass with little incident, school days being rather shaky at first, what with Gideon and Pacifica, now sworn enemies, being only a few feet away from Bill, but all they do is awkwardly glance at him and don't say a word. 

Dipper was extremely on guard during the first few days, magic sparking under his skin, fingers itching to morph into claws and tear out the throats of the two children. But to attack would not only reveal his true nature, but bring about the fury of two elder demons, and he cannot afford to have his client killed in the fray.

So, he just settled to glare at the two until they looked away, to the point where they didn't even look at Bill for the remainder of the weeks. Mabel had been extremely agitated by the fact Gideon snuck in so easily, and was now searching through all of the books about magic that are at least somewhat accurate, hoping to find a way to combat the Stan Twins.

She doesn't find much, only serving to make the she-demon angrier, much to Dipper's chagrin, having to deal with his sister either throwing the books out a window or flipping the table. 

"I will saw your hands off if you don't put down the book, Mabel!"

"Shut up, Dipper! You've just been sitting on your ass all week while I have to sift through this human fiction bullshit!"

"Okay, first off, you appointed yourself that role. Second, I  _have_ to watch Bill in case that blonde bitch gets the idea to whack him upside the head again. Third, you do realize that humans know next to nothing about magic, so obviously, none of  _this_ -" He points at the books. "-Is going to help!" 

Mabel snarls, scleras flaring magenta, teeth already growing pointier. "Well where the hell do you want me to look?!"

"I never said you should look anywhere! You brought this on yourself!" 

Bill, sitting on an armchair in the living room, sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Will you two just  _shut up_?"

Both of them immediately go silent. 

"Thank you.." The kid stands up and approaches the twins, who are still glaring daggers at each other. He picks up a book and flips through it before tossing it back into the table. 

"Shooting Star, this method isn't going to work. I'm not saying we shouldn't try and strike Sixer and Fezzy with a maiming blow when an actual fight starts, but doing this is about as helpful as just flicking water droplets at them."

He turns to Dipper, looking almost serious. "Now, do you know any way to fight off your crazy demon uncles?"

"..No. Ford's the Demon of Mystery remember? He can hide and uncover any secret he wants. If he doesn't want me to see something, then I won't." Dipper sighs, the intensity of his glare softening into a frustrated scowl. 

Bill hums, worrying his lip in thought. "Hmm...That could be bad. He could easily thwart any ambush we set up for him, and even conceal his own...Im assuming demonic deals are a sort of tradition in your family?"

The twins nod, Mabel idly braiding a strand of her own hair. "Yeah...I sort of recall a human Ford contacted shortly after Dipper fled..."

The child's face lights up in a malicious grin. "Ah, there we go! All we need to do is find this guy! They worked with Sixer, and could know of any operations he wanted to keep hidden!" 

The two blink at Bill, then exchange glances. "..Think that could work?"

"Perhaps. You know how Ford always tips the deal to his favor. Some people may resent him for that. Do you remember this person's name?"

Mabel thinks for a moment, tapping her lip in thought. "..I believe his name was Fiddleford. Lived up in some thick forests in Oregon."

Dipper opens his third eye, which blinks with images. "You'd be correct. Still lives there, though his mental state has worn a bit ever since. That's to be expected though."

Bill is pacing eagerly, eyes blazing with wicked glee. "Sounds like this Fiddleford would be chomping at the bit to get back at Sixer. Which means he could be a profitable pawn in this game of mine."

Dipper can't help but grin along with him, amused by his clients mannerisms. "Does that make me a pawn too?"

A sly smirk. "Nah, you'd be probably be the Queen." 

Mabel laughs, assuming it was an insult. Dipper however has to force himself not to heavily blush, mind snapping back to the... _thoughts_ he felt Bill direct toward him a few weeks ago. 

Said kid doesn't seem to realize his potential flirt, and twirls around. "Whelp, it's official! You two are gonna find this Fiddleford and bring him back here."

The demonic twins grin with glee, excited. That is, until they realize..."Wait. "You Two?" You mean you're not coming?"

Bill looks infuriatingly smug. "Well, I can't just up and leave school. And the Gang are too busy with that little tactic of yours, Pine Tree."

Dipper had come up with an idea a few days ago regarding the cult. He calculated that by slapping large murals of the symbol everywhere, it would leave big metaphorical footprints for the Stan Twins to track, making it easier for them to pinpoint potential ambushes. So, he suggested scattering smaller symbols around the city, noticeable to draw in new recruits, but not so much as to have the media have an uproar.

Mabel growls, pouting furiously. "You tricked us!"

"Did you expect anything less, Shooting Star?"

"......"

"That's what I thought."

Dipper sighs to himself. "And we can't use magic to just teleport. Those bastards would be able to sense it and inmediately know what we're doing." 

The she-demon groans in frustration, head tipping back and throwing up her hands. "So we have to travel by bus. Fffffuck."

"My thoughts exactly." Dipper massages his temples.

~----~ 

It takes a few days to get enough money for two bus tickets, as well as set up some magical traps around the house in case Gideon, Pacifica, or the Stan Twins try anything while they're gone. 

The gang is also on their guard, often carrying small weapons around with them as they go to and from work. Pyronica is especially antsy, going so far as to call in "sick" so as to stay with Bill.

Dipper can understand the motives perfectly, remembering how she and her friends saved the kid from death. Mabel is uncharacteristically soft toward Py in those moments, giving her a tight hug, as well as a big pink sweater with a flaming heart on it. 

Soon, the two demons are sitting on a bench, tickets in hand, Mabel impatiently tapping her foot and fiddling with her knitting needles hidden in her pants pocket. Dipper is reading a novel Kryptos gave him for the trip, it being about a human born with a draconian finger. 

It takes about 10 minutes for the bus to show up, and the twins sit in the back, not wanting to interact with any other passengers, ignoring any odd looks the two get. Mabel leans her chin on a hand, looking out the window as the bus starts moving again. 

~----~

Dipper closes the book, humming a bit to himself as he goes over the ending. Rather inaccurate, but still entertaining for human literature. He looks out the window, seeing large trees and patches of plant life, signifying they've left the city. 

He looks over at Mabel, who's carefully knitting another sweater, this one a light blue. She glances up at him for a second, and their eyes meet. 

Her voice rings in his head. ' _So, got any plan on how to do this?'_

_'Not yet. Was thinking you could use some Attack Glitter on him.'_

_'Need I remind you that we're trying to get Fiddleford onto our side. I don't think virtually blinding him will be a good idea.'_

_'Shut up. I said I was_ thinking.  _How do you know this guy anyway_?'

Mabel's eyes widen and she looks away, almost hunching in on herself. ' _..Don't be mad.'_

_'...Ok?'_

_'...Fiddleford at first was a man who had a personal project of building computers. Advanced ones. And, for some reason, he decided to seek out Ford for help. It was a few years after you ran away. They..Seemed to work on something, all the while Stan used his power of Luck to get Fiddlefords business off the ground.'_

_'Ok. Why would I be mad?'_

_'..I had no idea what it was at the time. Ford had me locked down with his magic, I could barely do anything if I had no supervision.'_

Dipper growls, fists clenching, making sure to keep his face down. ' _What did you think would happen? They weren't keeping us safe, Mabel. They were locking us up so we could never get back out again.'_

_'I know that now. But I didn't then...I only just found out what it was the night before Pyronica found me. When it was finished, Stan and Ford just left. Fiddleford's business collapsed and no one heard from him since.'_

Mabel looks up at him, eyes filled with horror, pure concern concentrated in that gaze. 

_'Dipper...They used a combination of magic and science to create a sort of containment chamber. Meant to permanently trap demons and extort them of their power.'_

She grabs his shoulders, trembling. 

_'Theyre planning to kill you. They want to kill you so they can have Knowledge.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever notice how Dipper and Mabel are a lot more violent then Stan and Ford?


	15. The One Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys!

Dipper stares in complete shock, body feeling frozen, and Mabel slowly pulls away, knees tucking into her chest, looking ashamed. 

' _I should've told you. But I didn't. You had other things to worry about.'_

He blinks before his brow furrows. ' _So, why wait until we're separated from the group?'_

_'To be honest, I thought you would go into another anger fit and accidentally hurt Bill or his friends.'_

_'Hmm...I see your point. My temper hasn't really changed that much from back then.'_

A small pause, then a little smile tugs on Mabel's lips, body visibly losing its tension. ' _Heheh...Finally want to indulge in good times?'_

He shifts, leaning back against the seat. ' _I...I'm not sure...It's not that I don't want to think back on us...It's just that my mind always reminds me of...Them. And you know what happens when I start freaking out.'_

_'I can use my magic to hold back the anger. Sure, it'll just be repressed, but who's to say you can't let it out later? Maybe rip a bear's head off.'_

That gets a breathless laugh out of the demon, and he grins softly. ' _That does sound nice...We have a few more hours until the bus stops...Sure.'_

Mabel smiles fully, relief flooding her face, quickly grabbing the collar of her sweater and tugging it over her head, while Dipper pulls the brim of his cap over his face, making it appear that he's asleep. 

Their eyes open, blue and pink respectively, glowing dimly. 

A memory plays in their heads.

~----~ 

_Piedmont California, 100 B.C_

A rough storm rages above, making the trees bend, tips uselessly whipping around in the gale that whistles by, rain pounding down hard. 

Animals dart for cover, some burrowing into the ground, while others try and take shelter under the leaves, thunder and lightning causing squirrels and other rodents to screech in fear.

A sudden flash, brighter than any lightning strike suddenly engulfs the area, casting ghastly shadows across the already eerie landscape, clouds suddenly circling as thunder rolls. A few more indescribable flashes before a audible tear in the sky forms, flashing with so many colors that most can't even be named in the human tongue, stars visible at the very center of this strange rip. 

Just as the rip reaches its peak, two small shapes fly out, laughing merrily without a care in the world, and in an instant, the portal is closed, giving no remnants as to it being really there.

The two figures pay no mind to the storm around them, one, a yellow star, whoops with joy and flies in loop-de-loops, leaving a large trail of rainbows in her wake. "I can't believe it, Dipper! We actually made it out of the astral plane!"

The other figure, a blue pine tree,gazes over all he can see, singular eye wide in awe. "I can't believe that all these colors actually exist. This is amazing." 

"You're surprised by that?"

"Well, yeah! We've never been in other dimensions before! This is incredible! We're entirely physical!" 

"Heheh. True. Think there is any smart creatures around here?"

Dipper's eye turns blue, spinning around in a circle before pointing to the far left. "A few kilometers away. A small settlement."

The demons exchange glances, and they both grin widely. Their claws light up in flames. "How about we go make a good first impression?"

~----~

A light grin slips onto both their faces. They had caused quite the ruckus when they first appeared, humans chucking spears and rocks  at them in a mad frenzy, and they just laughed, not even being remotely affected by the puny weapons. 

The two went on to spread their presence to other populated areas of the planet, sometimes worshipped, mostly feared for being unknown...amongst other things. Mabel would shed true sentience among the crude civilizations by spreading emotions in a flurry, causing quite the doozy. Dipper would preach all he knew to the most worthy of scholars, watching with an eager face as their eyes would go wide in awe and wond...Oh, who are they kidding?

They went on to cause nothing but chaos and destruction. And they enjoyed every moment. 

They would sew seeds of deceit into the most powerful of friendships, cut cracks into the strongest of empires to watch as they widened into ruining chasms, spread disease through landscapes, whispered foul words of ignorance into the royal ears.

It was glorious. They never liked this world anyway. Something wasn't right about it. 

And then their Grunkles came to see them. 

It didnt go well. They fought. Ford and Stan won. 

 _And there was nothing else to be said on the matter_.

~----~

The stars were twinkling in the clear night sky as the bus finally pulled up to the stop, and two passengers gathered their things and walked off the vehicle. Mabel groans in relief, stretching her back, which cracks audibly. 

Dipper rubs an eye, looking around, third eye flicking around behind his cap. "This is the place alright. We should find Fiddleford a few miles away, asleep in his bed."

"That's good. That way we can get in his house easier." 

"Agreed."

The demons begin walking into the shadows, eyes glowing visibly, fearless even as grumbles of bears and other possible threats echo around them. Mabel swings her arms, nonchalantly singing a little ditty as she hops over roots and tree stumps, making Dipper whistle along, feeling a little more upbeat now that they can actually walk around. 

 It takes a good hour for them to finally see the house in the distance, a simple wooden cottage. The lights are off, signifying no one is awake, and the twins  quickly dash up to the porch, Mabel digging into a pocket to pull out a bobby pin.

"I got this one." 

"I'm sure."

The she-demon bends down, slowly but carefully picking the lock, giggling with glee with she hears the door open. Dipper carefully turns the knob, slowly opening the door to cause as less noise as possible. The moonlight shines in to show a vacant living room, seeming to have a few hunted animals scattering the walls. 

The two carefully step forward, breathing slow and silent. The floorboards creak only the slightest bit under their weight, making sure not to wake Fiddleford up.

Dipper's shoe touches the carpeting, and only a fraction of a second after does he detect the scent of copper.

Both demons scream as the trap envelops them both, not just in pain at the invasive magic sapping their strength, but also in utter rage at the fact they've just walked into the ambush. The lights above them flick on, and Dipper finds the tip of a crossbow a few inches from his nose.

Fiddleford glares at them levelly, hair disheveled, clad only in pajama wear. "You have 10 seconds to tell me why you're here before this arrow goes through your skull."

Mabel sighs, obviously irritated. "I am  _this_ close to blinding him with glitter."

Dipper shushes her with a growl, turning his attention back to the man before them. "Look, we're not with Stanford and Stanley, ok?"

"Then why was she with them?" The man gestures at Mabel with the weapon.

"We were kind of being contained by them until we managed to break free. We're not here to cause you harm. In fact, we want to offer you a chance at revenge."

"What do you have against them?"

"They want to kill me so they can have access to all knowledge. And their clients have a vendetta against ours."

Fiddleford narrows his eyes, slowly lowering his crossbow a few inches. "So, you're asking me to lend my assistance?"

"Yes."

A tense silence passes, then the man grimaces. "I'll probably regret this." A muttering of Latin and the trap recedes.

The demon twins slowly get to their feet, cautious. They see Fiddleford tense, and his finger on the trigger twitch slightly. "What exactly do you want me to do?" 

Dipper straightens, face stoic and calm. "To come with us so you can meet with our client. If you agree to work with us, we can give you safety and a chance at redemption."

The man's hands tremble before slowly putting down the bow. "..Fine. I'll go."


	16. The Other Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Motivation has been dropping like a landslide.

The morning was cool and crisp, the rising sun casting a orange glow upon the clouds, turning them purple or a very light pink tint. 

Ford sipped at a cup of coffee as he stared out the window, expression blank aside from a small smile lifting the corner of his lips. Something as trivial as caffeine couldn't really affect him, being a demon, but he found himself drinking it anyway, mostly out of respect for the human tradition of making coffee during early parts of the morning. 

Stan is outside, mostly likely smoking another cigar, much to his brother's distaste; he could end up inadvertently damaging their clients lungs if they ended up inhaling the foul-smelling smoke. It would do none of them any good for them to get sick and die, and Stanley knows that. Yet he continues to do this anyway for reasons Ford can't quite wrap his head around. 

He dimly registers a small thump coming from upstairs, muffled greatly by the floor, and Ford glances at the digital clock on the microwave. 8:34 and one of the kids have already gotten up. They probably were either early risers or they're eager to get to work on stopping Cipher. Either way, it makes Ford grin a bit more. 

Soon, with a flash of blonde hair, Pacifica walks into the kitchen, nodding in greeting to the elder demon. "Morning, Mr. Ford."

Ford just grins. "Ford is just fine."

"I know, it just feels right to refer to you as Mr."

"I technically don't have a gender, but if that's what makes you the most comfortable, I won't stop you."

This gets a blink of surprise from the girl as she pulls a bowl from a cabinet. "Wait, you don't have one? Then why do you look like an old man?" 

The elder demon chuckles, grin getting a bit wider. He always enjoyed explaining demon biology to humans, seeing how they were so innocent about the subject of the paranormal. "That's just the guise my mind has chosen in order to blend in. Don't know why I decide to look this way, it just feels right."

Pacifica raises a brow, processing the information she just heard. "Blending in? I don't get why you need to do that. Aren't you guys already physical?"

"While our true forms are indeed physical, they are extremely powerful and hold monumental amounts of magic. Not only would it be enough to draw lesser supernatural beings close, but it also would act as a sort of bullseye; my niece and nephew could track my movements at any time, even if I were to enshroud my location in a secret. It's much easier and safer to cloak ourselves with human bodies."

The girl nods, pouring cereal into the bowl. "That's reasonable...I've been meaning to ask. Why is your family like this? I mean, you're demons, sure, but family is still family right?" 

The content atmosphere of the room is immediately washed away by cold tension, enough to make Pacifica's skin crawl. Ford's face is blank, lenses of his glasses hiding his eyes from view, and she nearly doesn't ignore the instinct to bolt from the kitchen. 

Then, slowly, Ford's shoulders relax, and he sighs, tired eyes glancing down at his client. "Apologies, it's just a rather touchy subject with me."

"..Sorry for asking then." 

The elder demon shakes his head,flapping a hand almost dismissively. "It's fine. You might as well know the full story anyway. Please sit."

After pouring the milk into the bowl, Pacifica almost zips over to a chair at the kitchen table, breakfast forgotten. Ford sits down across from her, hands clasped together and head down. After a moment he looks up. "At first, back when this Universe was just starting to grow, we found ourselves in what you call the astral plane, or in better terms, where dreams and minds are supposedly held. We had no idea what we were, who we were, and how we got there."

Ford's eyes grow calculating, and his voice nearly dips into a mumble, as if talking to himself. "No matter how hard we tried, we could never remember a time before the Mindscape. No memories of us becoming demons, no sort of indication of lives before  all this happened. It's like we just...popped into existence then and there."

Pacifica furrows her brow, but doesn't speak, eager to listen. Ford's thumbs twiddle. "Eventually, we learned that outside the Mindscape, there was the Earth. Not just that, but worlds. Worlds full of creatures and wonders that we had never seen before, and even beyond that. Other dimensions, parallel universes, all of them infinite and eternal. We knew we had to find a way out. So, we each went around, carefully weakening the blockades of space/time that kept us from entering the physical realm."

Ford pauses to take a sip of his coffee, expression blank. "Finally, we managed to break free of the Mindscape. It was then that we decided to split up. Stan and I would go and explore all the alternate dimensions and possibilities the Multiverse could offer. Dipper and Mabel stayed behind on Earth, wanting to see what exactly grew down there."

Pacifica blinks as the elder demon's expression warps with a agonized expression, eyes clenches shut and hands coming up to fist his hair. "..We had no idea it would happen. That they were capable of anything like it...They found humans. Tribal humans that at the time were barely getting on their feet. And they slaughtered them all."

A brief moment of silence as Ford takes a few deep breaths. "..And they kept going. They used their powers in no way that I could even think of. They drove men to insanity, made wives strangle their babies, caused chaos and murder to erupt in even the most wide-spread towns...They spread disease throughout landscapes, watching with glee as paranoia spiked and more torture and death began anew...Humans were dropping by the thousands, empires prospered only to be tossed away to rot when they got bored..."

Another sip of coffee, this one noticeably more shaky. "..No matter where humans were, they followed and soaked the soil with blood and death..They made the Earth their toy, and took the role of malevolent gods... _And they were happy_..."

His voice drops into a venemous hiss that makes his eyes flash golden, hands shaking not with panic, but with rage. " _They were happy to bring chaos and death to this world, enjoyed the fact they've killed hundreds of people..._ and why? Because "the world isn't right. It isn't liberated." At least, that was the explanation they gave." 

Pacifica doesn't move, staring down at the table, eyes wide with shock. Ford sighs, body slumping. "We had no choice. Using our abilities, we locked them under our control and nullified their power. We spent centuries trying to change their perspective, make them see that this world was beautiful, and not to be harmed. I even began to take Dipper in as an apprentice of mine, tried to make him see my ways..."

The demon grits his teeth in bitter anger. "It didnt work. Nothing worked. He just grew to resent me even more, to the point where he started wishing to kill me." 

His body trembles, voice quivering. "And...He used his knowledge to break out. He ripped our magic from his body, tried to do the same to Mabel. But, she was able to somewhat see that we were just trying to help. She refused. Dipper, in a moment of rage and betrayal, attacked. It was a fight that neither of them have healed from yet...And probably never will."

The girl stares as Ford places his forehead on the table, voice slightly muffled now. "...Now that both he and Mabel are together again, they have the potential of taking revenge against us. And they will show no mercy if they have the chance...That's why...We have to kill them."

With that, Ford takes a rounded object out of his pocket and places it on the table, swirling with star-like lights on the inside. "This is a cross between magic and science. A sort of containment chamber designed to rip Dipper and Mabel's forms from their human bodies. It will then tear their consciousness away from their forms and trap them inside this orb forever...Their true forms will be mindless, totally without feeling, and can be used however we want...Their forms hold their power..We can use it much more responsibly than they did.....It's the closest thing we can get to holding onto our niblings without harming anyone.."

His voice cracks, giving insight to the agony Ford feels deep in his core, eyes welling up with tears as his hands shake. Pacifica doesn't even hesitate to get up, pulling him into a hug, which is slowly given back. She rubs his back with a hand, frowning deeply. "...I know it's hard, but the stakes are too high..."

"...I know.."

"Look, when its over, you don't have to worry anymore. It's for the best."

Ford nods, yet his small sobs don't cease. He only hugs his client closer. 

Pacifica lets him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the plural term for niece and nephew is indeed "niblings." 
> 
> Another fun fact: Ford is deeply depressed by the fact that he inadvertently tore Dipper and Mabel's bond to pieces.


	17. The Stitched Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for all the inactivity lately. I just sort of lost interest for a while, and it was hard to gain even a single scrap of energy to work on this. 
> 
> But (hopefully) I'm back.

The two child-like demons walk back through the brush, trees creaking slightly from the breeze that floats by. Fiddleford is in front of them, carefully holding a spherical star-laden object in one hand. The crossbow was packed up and put away in a bag that's now slung over his shoulder. 

Mabel eyes the sphere warily, though Dipper just looks confused, brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, we have to go into a small town nearby  _why_?"

Fiddleford glances at him out of the corner of his eye for a moment. "I made a promise. And unlike Ford, I'm no backstabber."

"Well, why can't you tell us what the promise is?"

"None of your business, that's why."

Dipper growls in irritation, but goes quiet, crossing his arms, almost looking like a spoiled brat that didn't get a toy they wanted. Mabel points at the sphere, sounding intrigued. "So, you made a replica? How exactly did you hide it from Ford?"

Fiddleford smirks, looking a bit smug, holding up said device in his hand. "I  _didn't_. Kept it right out in the open for anyone to see. That's the thing with secrets; if you focus on what's hidden, you'll never see what's in plain sight. Figured that one out a few years ago."

Mabel hums to herself, as if contemplating the information. Dipper huffs a bit, mostly to himself, a bit irritated that he didnt process the incredibly easy trick. It would've probably got him away from the Grunkle's faster.  

Soon, the woods part to show a small town down inside a canyon, at least made up of 30 buildings. Most of the lights inside the homes were off, though a few still glowed, signifying night owls. Fiddleford grins a bit, glancing back at the twins. "Hope you like cemeteries."

Before the two can say anything, the man leaps onto the branch if a tree, which creaks ominously but still manages to hold. He climbs down the pine with almost eerie skill, and lands safely on the ground. He makes a waving gesture for the twins to follow. 

Mabel grins a bit, giggling as she takes a few steps back. "I like him." The she-demon then does a running leap, effectively launching herself close enough to the tree to grab on. She briefly hooks her legs over the branch, hanging upside-down before properly climbing down.

Dippwr raises a brow as he watches his sister, face otherwise blank. "You say that, yet a few minutes ago you were threatening to blind him with glitter."

"He had a crossbow pointed at us! And besides, if he didnt accept we were just going to kill him and ransack his house! Don't lie, Dips!"

"...Very true." He nods a bit in agreement, gingerly taking hold of an outstretched branch, and managing to jump onto the bark. After a moment, his feet hit the ground, and the three walk down near the town.

As stated by Fiddleford, the direction they seemed to be taking  lead right into the local cemetery, the ground littered with tombstones, some new and some old. Dipper felt his fingers itch, knowing how strong the potential for magic was in areas like these. His third eye was darting around, aching to see and absorb the knowledge, the lives of the dead. 

Mabel looks confused as Fiddleford approaches a house off to the side of the burial grounds, most likely the ones who run the cemetery. Both twins glance at each other, staying put next to a singular tombstone as the scientist keeps walking. He seems to be eyeing one particular window, one that still had light coming from the inside.

Then Fiddleford picks up a stone, lightly tapping the bricks of the house in a precise pattern. Morse Code, Dipper realizes as he watches, translating it in his head.

'Come on out. It's me.'

A few moments later, and the lit window slides open, a teenager, looking to be roughly 16 to 17 years old, pokes his head out. A black mop of hair seemed to cover one eye, and his face was dotted with acne...was that  _eyeliner_? Dipper felt his face scrunch up in mild disgust, something about this kid making his blood simmer, but he just can't tell why. It's almost familiar.

In fact, now that he thought about it...Even Fiddleford seemed familiar. But that was impossible; Dipper wasn't around when Ford made that deal with him. But, for some reason, the name just sent prickles of déjà vu up his spine, and he can't tell why. It's been frustrating the demon to no end, all of these people he swears he had never met but  _for some reason seem so familiar like he has once before-_

"Dipper!" Mabel's snapping at him managed to knock him out of the daze he was in, only to realize his claws were out and sunk into his own palms, bleeding freely, hands sparking with embers. Fiddlefords back was pressed against the house, crossbow out and pointed at him, the man shaking slightly. "Don't. Touch him."

The demon stares at him for a moment, then glances up at the teenager, who was now shrunk back from the windowsill, looking frightened. Dipper sighs, taking a few deep breaths and letting his claws retract. "I...Sorry about that. I'm not sure what came over me."

Mabel is staring at him, while Fiddleford slowly lowers the weapon, glancing back up at the teen. "...Ok, you can come down now."

The kid stares for a moment, then hoists himself out the window, rather nimbly hitting the ground, a backpack over his shoulders. He wore a black hoodie and jeans, the former having an odd drawing of a stitched up, bleeding heart on it. Dipper tries not to think about how that sight makes his third eye ache, and simply glances at Fiddleford. "Who is this?"

The man gestures to the teen, who seems to be looking at the twins as if they're about to bite his head off. "This is Robbie Valentino. The son of the cemetery owners, and, well, the only person I consider trustworthy here. Been helping me with setting up demon traps and keeping my house in working order for years."

"And you led us here why?"

"Because I made a promise to him that if I ever got the chance to leave this place I would bring him along with me. He's a good kid, it's just that his parents are a little...meh."

Dipper narrows his eyes. "Our client doesn't really want freeloaders. What kind of use would he have?"

Fiddleford smirks at him, as if he just got a winning deck in a game of poker. "Think about it. He lives in a cemetery home; the kid obviously must be good at burying bodies, and considering how you demons work, I'm suspecting there will be a lot of them."

This makes Dipper pause, a brow raised. He opens his mouth to try and argue that placing a body in a coffin and hiding an actual corpse so it won't be discovered are completely seperate things, but Mabel places a hand on his shoulder. 

' _Don't say it, Dips. We could just use the kid as a meatsheild or something. Use his corpse as a human-skin rug or have his head be a kickball.'_

The image that thought beings is an amusing one, and it makes the demon smirk to himself. He forgot how easily corpses can be turned into decor or playthings, and the reminder lightened his mood a bit. "Very well, Fiddleford. He may accompany us."

The man smiles wide, and Robbie grins a bit as well, though its a bit lopsided, clearly still nervous about the two demons. Dipper fishes out a cell phone from his vest pocket, a gift from Hectorgon, and quickly dialed Bill.

There are a few beeps bedore the other end is picked up. "Yellow?" Bill's voice, still as grating as ever, rings through the speaker, making Dipper wince at the volume. 

"Bill, it's us. We got Fiddleford to agree to our terms."

"Heheh! That's great to hear! The gang and I have been doing good, thankfully those stupid step-siblings didnt try to pull anything when I went to classes."

"That is good to hear. However, it turns out Fiddleford will not be the only one coming with us. Some stupid kid wants to come with him."

He ignores the shout of protest from Robbie.

"Wow, was not expecting that! What's the idiots name?"

"Robbie Valentino."

"Hmm...Well, I always could use a couple of meat sacks to catch any bullet that are shot my way. Fine, Sapling, bring Stitched Heart over-"

Dipper also ignores the shouts of surprise when he crushes the phone in his hand, eye twitching for a couple moments before he realizes something.

"Did he just call me Sapling?"


	18. Author Note

So, I'll be honest. I've really lost inspiration for this work. It mostly has stuff to do with writer's block, and, as some of you know, a new fanfic I've been working on.

 

But, what I wanted to ask was this: Do you think I should continue? Do you want to know what happens next? Do you like my writing? 

 

I don't know if I can give this a second chance, but I just want to know what you think.


End file.
